The present invention relates to techniques for detecting hitting, striking or beating (hereinafter referred to as “hitting”) performance operation.
Among the conventionally-known electronic musical instruments are ones in which tone materials of different tone colors are allocated to a plurality of operating surfaces of a performance control and which, each time any one of the operating surfaces is hit, reproduce the tone material allocated to the hit operating surface. Examples of prior art literatures disclosing techniques related such electronic musical instruments include Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2010-113028 (hereinafter referred to as “relevant prior art literature”). The electronic musical instrument disclosed in the relevant prior art literature includes a total of twelve operating surfaces: six operating surfaces P1 to P6 located close to a human player or user; and six operating surfaces P7 to P12 located remote from the user. Of the twelve operating surfaces P1 to P12, the operating surfaces P1 to P6 located close to the user are oriented upwardly, while the operating surfaces P7 to P12 located remote from the user are oriented slightly obliquely toward the user with their rear ends (i.e., ends remoter from the user) located slightly higher than their front ends (i.e., ends closer to the user). Further, in the electronic musical instrument disclosed in the relevant prior art literature, tone materials simulating various percussion instruments, such as a bass drum and snare drum, are allocated to the twelve operating surfaces P1 to P12, so that, each time hitting of any one of the operating surfaces is detected, the tone material allocated to the hit operating surface is reproduced.
However, with the electronic musical instrument disclosed in the relevant prior art literature, the user cannot ascertain types of the tone materials, allocated to the individual operating surfaces, while performing. Thus, it has been necessary for the user to ascertain all of the tone materials, allocated to the individual operating surfaces, by test-hitting the individual operating surfaces before starting a performance.